Connections Blog

In January, the RTA published its Transit-Friendly Communities Guide, a roadmap for local decision-makers, developers, and community advocates to create equi...

This summer, three new projects are kicking off that will make communities throughout the Chicago region more equitable, accessible, and transit-friendly, th...

In April 2025, the Chicago Plan Commission officially adopted the 79th Street Corridor Plan, a bold vision of the Auburn Gresham community that began in 2022...

With the Chicago area’s transit system facing a $771 million fiscal cliff starting in 2026, RTA released our Transforming Transit vision for sustainable fund...

Chicago's transit system is facing a fiscal cliff in 2026 that will mean drastic service cuts across CTA, Metra, and Pace. The RTA is advocating for addition...

In March, the RTA, CTA, Metra, and Pace detailed what 40% service cuts would look like if the Illinois legislature does not identify a funding solution for t...

Public transit in the Chicago region has been underfunded for decades and the crisis we face today is not the first that has challenged the system. The curre...

Every year, the RTA’s Local Planning department assists local governments throughout northeastern Illinois on projects that strengthen the region’s transit s...

In the late fall of 2024, RTA’s Community Planning program in partnership with the Urban Land Institute supported two Development Dialogues held in Round Lak...

As conversations on transit funding and reform continue in Springfield ahead of the fiscal cliff, local elected officials across the region have raised their...

Earlier this year, the RTA released Transforming Transit, a vision for the regional transit system with $1.5 billion in annual operating funding supported by...

Beginning in 2026, Chicago’s regional transit system will face a projected $770 million annual budget gap. At nearly 20% of the annual operating budget, this...